After it Falls
by TunedIn
Summary: When a building collapses in Boston it is a monumental task for the Medical Examiner's office. Maura's work at the scene is only the beginning of a long and difficult process to provide the victims families and the community with answers. Set immediately after 3:15 this is a one shot of how the next couple of days might have played out.


Having a building collapse in downtown Boston is still inconceivable to Jane. When she thinks about what could have happened yesterday she shudders. Still TJ was home with his mother and Tommy and Frost were fine. She takes another gulp of her instant coffee, grabs her jacket and heads to the station. The traffic is chaotic with all the road closures. Frustrated uniforms are doing their best to keep traffic moving around the scene, a scene that looks more like a war zone than the streets of Boston's Back Bay. When Jane reaches headquarters she's about to drive under the building when she does a double take and decides to leave her car parked well and truly above the ground. As Jane enters BPD she sees her mother and Frankie chatting in the café and heads over to them.

"Hi baby" Angela greets her first-born.

"Hey Ma" Jane does her best to smile despite being fragile from yesterday's events. "Hey Frankie, I think you've still got building dust in your hair." Jane uses the statement as an excuse to ruffle his hair; for some reason she had an overwhelming need to do that.

"Yeah, yeah; I'm pleased to see you to Janey" Frankie retorts. "If I did that to your hair you'd shoot me."

"No I wouldn't;" Jane fakes shock at her brother's implication.

"Yeah" Frankie makes a move to touch her hair and Jane backs away; they end the exchange laughing.

"Honestly, you two." Angela shakes her head and gets up to pour Jane a coffee.

Jane thanks her mother as she takes it. "How was Tommy this morning, when's he come home?"

"Probably tomorrow" Frankie announces.

"Yes and I finish here at one so I'm going to see him on my way home from work" Angela adds.

"That's nice Ma. I'll try to get by to see him at some stage today," Jane offers.

"Yeah, me too" Frankie adds as he picks up his cap and starts to leave. "I've got to go Ma, thanks for the coffee."

"Bye sweetie, be safe," Angela smiles at Frankie. She looks back at Jane after admiring her handsome son leave. "I don't expect Detective Frost will be in today."

"I wouldn't think so Ma, his mum's still in town. I spoke to him last night and he's with her for the time being."

"That's nice." Jane's friends have all become very important to Angela. "I still can't believe what happened yesterday" Angela sighs. "Thank God Tommy and TJ were alright."

"Me either… and on that note I better go. Talk to you later Ma" Jane kisses her mother and heads off. Angela watches the confident stride of her daughter as she reaches the lift and disappears into the building.

Jane greets Korsack as she pulls up at her desk. She boots up her computer and checks her email for any important messages or directives. There is a note from Cavanaugh for her and Korsack to report to his office at 10:00am. Jane leans back in her chair wondering whether there is much more they can tell Cavanaugh that he wouldn't have learned yesterday. She looks at Korsack who is reading her mind. He shrugs his shoulders. They don't need to speak; they've worked together for so long they know what each other are thinking. Jane nods at him and stands. Korsack smiles, he doesn't have to ask, he knows exactly where Jane's going.

When Jane reaches the morgue she's reminded of another war scene. There were seven dead before the building collapsed. Emergency Services were still trying to rescue people up to the buildings demise. Jane hadn't heard the latest details but judging by the scene before her the death toll had increased. There were bodies everywhere. Maura's three tables housed victims in various stages of analysis. There were another three bodies lined up at those tables in body bags. All of the body storage cabinets were tagged indicating there were people inside. Throughout Maura's department there were scientists and lab technicians scanning building material and body parts trying to provide the answers that were needed for all the thousands of questions being asked by an unknown number of officials needing answers. She scanned the scene and didn't see Maura. Suzie caught her attention and pointed to Maura's office. Jane nodded and headed in that direction.

Jane was surprised at the scene that greeted her when she entered Maura's security blanket at work; her office. Her desk was covered in papers. Her lap top was open and pinging with incoming emails constantly. Maura's mobile and office phones were ringing and being ignored. Maura's head was over her arm on her desk and she was fast asleep. From the way she was laying, Jane could tell her being asleep was not deliberate. It looked like she had flaked from exhaustion. Loathe to wake her friend, she knew Maura would be annoyed at herself for sleeping on the job. Jane found herself smiling; Maura looked so peaceful amidst the chaos surrounding her.

Jane gently touched her shoulder. "Hey Maura" she urged gently. "Wakey, wakey" she shook her gently again.

Dazed with sleep Maura eventually responds. "There's still three people unaccounted for, my team are scanning the debris…"

"Hey, hey, hey sweetie, it's me; you fell asleep." Jane tries to settle the startled Maura.

"Oh my God, I fell asleep!" Maura stands quickly. "I have a million things to do; sleep is not one of them."

Jane takes Maura by the shoulders and steadies her. "Maura when is the last time you slept?"

Taking a breath, "you mean before a minute ago? Well let's see, what day is it; what time is it?"

"That's what I thought." Jane looks intently at her tired friend. "Let me guess, the rest of your team are on four-hour rotations so as not to make mistakes; am I right?"

"Well as best we can manage it. Some of the work we're doing requires continuity. This is one of those times my whole department has to… well… _'Strap them up'_ as you would say."

Jane has a wry smile as she shakes her head at Maura's gaff. "Actually I would say 'strap them on' Maura, but I get your drift." Maura just stares at Jane confused. "What can I do to help" Jane asks.

"Honestly, nothing at the moment." Maura smiles at Jane "but thanks for offering." Maura scans her desk. She has switched back into work mode. She puts her papers back in order and prioritizes them. She scans her emails for anything that's urgent. She checks her mobile to see what calls she's missed. She notes there are a couple she has to return and decides to do that from the morgue while she's working. Placing the phone in her pocket she looks up to say goodbye to Jane only to notice Jane's already gone. Maura shrugs and wanders back into her morgue.

As the morning meanders on slowly, things aren't going smoothly and Maura is struggling. With the size of the task at hand she is not able to work in the solitude she prefers. Her team and the many temporary staff brought in to help are constantly interrupting her with information and looking for directions. She's also had to be patient with the constant snide and backhand remarks directed at her from her incompetent assistant ME; Dr. Pike. She's just finalising notes on the sixth victim when she hears the door to the morgue swing open. She braces herself for the untimely interruption until she catches a whiff of freshly brewed coffee. Her mouth waters in anticipation; she'd kill for a coffee right now. She fights the urge to look up at the tease that would enter her domain drinking the tantalising substance, she so longs for.

"Hey," comes Jane's husky voice as she places the paper cup under Maura's nose. "For you" she adds. Maura doesn't say a word; she takes the cup and takes a timid sip at first testing the heat before drawing a longer mouthful of the energising black gold. Seeing Maura's reaction Jane explains that Angela has made it especially for her.

"Remind me to thank your mother Jane."

"What about me, I carried it all the way down here for you." Jane mocks being slighted.

"Jane the last time you made me a coffee it was instant; I haven't forgiven for you for that yet."

"Yeah, OK" Jane laughs. "So how's it going?"

"I've completed the analysis on six of the eleven confirmed dead. Suzie is leading a team scanning the debris for missing body parts from these eleven and also looking for the remains of three that are still missing" Maura explains. "Once I've completed the analysis on the other five, I can start writing up my reports and provide more specific and directed supervision to our incendiary efforts. The Governor wants me to do a press conference with him at six pm tonight."

"So best case scenario eleven dead, worst case fourteen." Jane shakes her head as Maura nods at her. "Oh I can't wait to slap the charges on your councillor and his wife Maura. I'm afraid there will need to be new elections before you get your potholes fixed."

"Trust me Jane; they're the least of my worri..."

"Dr. Isles the Governor called and asked I give you some assistance."

Jane and Maura both look to the familiar but unexpected voice that's interrupted them.

"Hope… Dr. M… Martin" Maura stumbles.

"Ah Hope returns" Jane greets Hope coldly.

"Hello Jane" Hope offers awkwardly.

Jane squeezes Maura shoulders and whisper to her to be strong. Maura nods and Jane leaves. Not yet ready to deal with Hope too close in proximity Maura asks her to give Suzie a hand with DNA analysis of the human remains for matching and identification. Maura calls her orderly's to remove the three bodies on her tables and to bring in another three for her to autopsy.

Jane grabs a beer and turns on the evening news. She hasn't had a chance to catch Maura again but knows she's giving a press conference this evening. Jane flops on her lounge as the Governor gets his political mileage in before handing over the delivery of the bad news to 'the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Doctor Maura Isles'. As the camera's pan to Maura Jane's amazed at how good she looks. She looks like a million bucks despite having not slept in close to forty-eight hours; well except for her flake out on her desk. Jane smiles as she pictures what Maura would consider her moment of weakness. As Maura starts her delivery Jane's reminded why the media and people in general in the Boston Community think of her as queen of the dead. Her delivery is scientific and fact based; devoid of any emotion. Jane shakes her head, if only the world saw the real Maura.

Jane wakes to gentle knocking on her apartment door. She looks around; the TV is still on; her second beer sitting half drunk on the coffee table. The baseball game she was watching is long gone replaced by some darts tournament being played in the UK. She checks the clock on the wall to see its after midnight. As another knock greets her, she pulls herself out from under the blanket she doesn't remember wrapping herself in and checks to see whose knocking. When she sees it's Maura she swings the door open and ushers her inside.

"Oh you were asleep; when I heard the TV I thought you were still awake. Sorry Jane I'll go."

"No, no I was awake", Jane lies.

Maura gives Jane a knowing glance as she sees Jane's lounge and coffee table. "Do you ever sleep in your bed Jane?" Jane doesn't answer but the look she gives Maura is one of guilt. "Have you eaten I brought Pizza" Maura adds.

"Do peanuts count" Jane eyes the Pizza box in Maura's hands and is immediately hungry for it. Maura just shakes her head.

Maura walks to Jane's counter top and places the Pizza down. She hands Jane a bottle of wine and asks her to open it. She grabs two plates and two glasses from Jane's cupboards and some napkins from Jane's pantry. Jane pours two glasses of red wine and pulls a stool around to the kitchen side of her counter and sits down opposite her friend. They both chew a mouthful of Pizza in silence. Maura has a sip of her wine before breaking the silence. "I'm sorry to call around so late Jane; I've finished all I can do for now but somehow the thought of sleep isn't so inviting."

"Sometimes I forget just how big your job really is Maura. When we work murders together I think of you as my pier, but when I see you in these situations… well I'm reminded I'm just a homicide detective. I am totally in awe of you; you're amazing."

"Jane" Maura laughs dismissively and takes another bite of Pizza. Sensing Maura needs to talk Jane doesn't say anymore. Eventually Maura looks up at her, "Let's hope we don't have another situation like this during our careers." She offers Jane a fragile smile.

"You OK?"

"Don't be mad Jane but I agreed to give Kaylyn my kidney today."

Jane laughs, "I always knew you would Maura. I'm more pissed that Hope had the nerve to come back and ask you for it."

"You'd do the same thing if it meant saving someone you loved" Maura stares at Jane. Her comment causes a stab of pain to Jane that she tries to hide but Maura catches her expression. "What did I say Jane?"

"It's nothing."

"Jane" Maura gives her the look. When Jane doesn't say anything it dawns on Maura. "It's Casey isn't it? I saw him there when the building collapsed; did you guys talk?"

"I tried Maura and in part I can understand where he's coming from. But his last words to me were 'I'll be OK or I won't; it's my choice.' I've tried calling him a couple of times, but he's not picking up."

"I'm sorry Jane"

"Yeah me too" Jane washes down a mouthful of Pizza with a sip of her wine. "Let's not talk about that; how are things with Hope… besides the fact that she's managed to get a kidney out of you?" Jane looks over her wine glass at Maura.

"I am in such unfamiliar territory with her. I mean I told her how I really felt about everything Jane. I wasn't polite or nice. I just said what I was feeling. I was awful to her."

"I doubt you were awful to her and like I said I'm really proud of you, I think you took an important step Maura."

"We have worked well together the last couple of days but we haven't had time to talk much."

"Maura giving a kidney is one thing; trying to find your way with Hope is another and you should try to keep them separated."

"I should?" Maura looks at Jane confused.

"Yeah… yeah you should." Jane is always surprised at Maura's naïvety at interpersonal relationships. It reminds her of just how lonely Maura's life must have been growing up. "Maura, be prepared for this thing with Hope going anywhere; OK. You both have a lot of stuff to work through, just promise me one thing."

"Oh" Maura expression moves from confused to surprised. "Oh, OK, what?"

"Keep being honest with yourself and with her, for better or for worse make sure you tell how you really feel about things. OK?"

"Oh I don't know about that Jane." Maura sounds wary.

"It's the fastest way to get you to wherever you are going to be with Hope and it will be based on honesty Maura and you deserve that."

"Hmm, I don't know." Maura yawns. Jane watches her exhausted friend.

"Well I do; you want me to run you home Maura, you're exhausted?"

"No, no it's OK. I've inconvenienced you enough."

"Well you're not driving in your state, especially after two glasses of wine. Do you want to crash here? You can have the bed, like you say I never use it." Jane and Maura both laugh.

"The last time I stayed here I fell asleep in your bed; remember?"

"Yes I do and you accused me of thrashing, kicking and talking all night. If you want any sleep I'll take the couch and keep all my unique nocturnal habits to myself."

Maura laughs. "You know you really should see someone about your sleeping prob…"

"Maura" Jane stands and Maura follows suit.

"OK, OK… Sorry to barge in on you so late Jane; you're a good friend.

"Don't even think about it Maura; I'm glad you did." The girls hug. "Help yourself to anything you need Maura, you know where everything is." Jane flops on the lounge. "Night."

Maura looks at Jane and shakes her head. Angela did say we're like sisters Maura thinks as she turns and heads to Jane's bedroom. "Thanks Jane, good night." Sister's or not, Maura realises she is very glad to have Jane and all the Rizzoli's in her life. As she curls under the blankets of Jane's bed and looks for sleep, she takes comfort in knowing whatever lies ahead she is surrounded by good people who will watch out for her. It's her last thought as sleep takes over.


End file.
